OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14299408
RESPIRATORY,HEATER,BOILER,INHALATION,INDUSTRIAL TRUCK,AIR CONTAMINATION,EXHAUST FUMES,CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN,TOXIC FUMES,CARBON MONOXIDE
Event description
EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO CARBON MONOXIDE
Investigation abstract
AN EXPLOSION IN THE BOILER ROOM AT THIS PLANT ON JANUARY 29, 1986 HAD RESULTED I RBON MONOXIDE. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER THE CARBON MONOXIDE WAS GENERATED BY THE SPACE HEATERS, BADLY TUNED FORKLIFTS OR THE TEMPORARY BOILER. THE AFFECTED EMPLO YEES CAME FROM WIDELY SEPARATED AREAS OF THE PLANT. N A TOTAL PLANT SHUT-DOWN. KEROSENE SPACE HEATERS WERE BROUGHT INTO THE PLANT TO KEEP THE PIPES FROM FREEZING WHILE REPAIRS WERE UNDERWAY. THE PLANT RESUMED OPE RATION ON FEBRUARY THIRD. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF OF OPERATION, EMPLOYEES BEGAN TO BECOME ILL. SEVEN EMPLOYEES WERE HOSPITALIZED. OF THE SEVEN, FIVE WERE FOUND TO HAVE HIGH CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN LEVELS. MOSH ARRIVED AT ABOUT 2 PM, BUT BY THEN THE PLANT HAD BEEN AIRED OUT AND NO SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE WERE FOUND. BECAUSE OF THE HIGH LEVELS OF CARBOXYHEMOGLOBIN FOUND IN THE FIVE EM PLOYEES, IT IS SURMISED THAT THEY HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF CA
Victims (7)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 45 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 777
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 42 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 777
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 26 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 777
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 374
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 46 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 777
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 777
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Hospitalized Age 36 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 25
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 95
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0560
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.